Red Rising

By Renee Joiner

Rae Henson, werewolf avenger, in a city ruled by vampires. Her quest for justice just got complicated.

Werewolf Rae Henson prowls the streets with a single purpose: to avenge her brother's death at the hands of the city's vampire rulers. These vampires, determined to maintain their iron grip, see her and her pack as a formidable threat.

But Rae's hunt is driven by more than just revenge; it's fueled by the red curse of her lineage, pushing her to the brink during the blood moon. Her world is thrown into chaos when the vampire she's been hunting unexpectedly saves her life - from another wolf.

This bewildering twist not only challenges her perceptions but plunges her into a deep crisis. Rae finds herself torn between her primal instincts and a reality that's unraveling, threatening to shatter her world and stake her broken heart for good.

Fans of Underworld and Bitten will find themselves immersed in a tale where loyalties are tested and the line between friend and foe blurs.

Embrace the Wild Hunt. Dive into Rae's tumultuous world where the hunter becomes the hunted. Get your copy now and join her on this thrilling, heart-wrenching journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oshun Publications, LLC
• Release date: Jan 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781956319071

Renee Joiner

Renee Joiner has been in love with the supernatural for longer than she can remember, so it is no surprise that she is an author of paranormal urban fantasy. Although she discovered her passion for writing when she was only twelve years old, she didn’t make her writing debut until many years into the future. Adventurous and fun-loving, she enjoys traveling to new places, exploring new sights and meeting new people. Thus, she delights in creating fantastical worlds that are sure to give her readers an escape from the real world while simultaneously providing thrilling entertainment. Besides her special knack for writing, you'll also find a passion for metaphysics spirituality which she has been nurturing for over four decades. Renee hails from New York and currently resides with her husband in their empty nest—unless you count their three adorable fur babies—in Florida. She enjoys adding to her sea of knowledge and thus spends her free time learning new things.

Book preview

Chapter 1

How It Began

Loss and sadness appeared to be a constant theme in Rae’s life. What was once a powerful family led by the Blood Moon packs’ alpha, had been picked off one by one. The first hit to the alpha family was the death of one of Rae’s oldest sisters. They discovered she was murdered and before they could get any leads on who did it, the second oldest was also killed. Both her older sisters were gone and not only was the family in mourning, but they were also no closer to finding out who was responsible. There were no feuds among the packs, nor was there any strife between the werewolves and vampires. Helena, her mother, strived to treat all members among the packs, and everyone else in the city, fairly. This was one of the reasons why she was highly respected and unchallenged. Despite it all Helena, carried on in her role as alpha of the pack without fail.

Meanwhile, Rae had her own suspicions that Darion, the leader of the vampire coven, was to blame. She believed he was the one attacking her family—systematically wiping them out to support his own agenda.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Helena was assassinated just three weeks ago, bringing more grief and despair to the family. Since her older sisters and her mother were dead, Rae, being the third-born, was next in line to lead the packs. After the oath taking ceremony, she would become the new alpha and leader of the oldest and largest pack in the city, the Blood Moon. Rae was responsible for keeping the peace on the streets and ensuring that the citizens were safe.

Only one week after the death of the original alpha, her youngest sister was murdered. They had just given funeral rights when she began to feel the weight of her responsibilities. All the shifters in the city now answered to Rae. Though, since Helena’s death, the packs had not yet officially sworn their oath to follow her. Rae was tasked with arranging to meet with the packs and complete the oath taking if she truly wished to take her mother’s place as pack alpha. All the packs were now looking to her, and it was up to her to call the gathering or demand it if necessary.

Of this once powerful family of seven strong werewolves, only three members remained—Rae, her brother Dash, and her younger sister Caitlyn. To keep her remaining family safe, Rae attached a protective detail to watch over each of her younger siblings. She refused to take any chances with her family’s safety, since keeping them alive was now up to her.

Being the alpha family of the largest pack certainly appeared to be a remarkable position. However, it made Rae’s family a target for those who no longer wished to pledge their compliance to the matriarchal leadership. There were those who fancied themselves better leaders and no longer wish to be ruled by females. They all seemed to forget that the ultimate purpose of leadership was to keep those in the city safe.

The city: teeming with werewolves, vampires, and humans, all trying to coexist. The alpha of the packs and leader of the vampires kept all their respective members in line and by extension, maintained the safety of everyone in the city. The packs and vampires each had their homes and ideally kept out of each other’s territory. When all was well, everyone was safe. Continued peace and safety in the city were what Rae wanted to maintain.

The city had come a long way from constant rival attacks and territory wars. Recognizing that no group truly won, and in the aftermath, there were only the deaths of werewolves and vampires alike was the game-changer. Not to mention the magnitude of human lives that were lost since they helplessly got caught in the crosshairs of the rivalry.

No longer were werewolves creeping in the dark and fighting among themselves; Rae’s mother took care of that many years ago. Under her leadership, all the packs’ actions were regulated and they were all the better for it. They lived esteemed lives, were protected, and most importantly, lived in peace. But keeping all the packs in line and subordinate to one alpha was not an easy feat. Maintaining that level of authority took a lot of work, courage, and boldness, which Rae would soon discover.

Just imagine though, how far they had all come. Packs, covens, and people coexisted together peacefully. Humans no longer had to live in fear of getting caught in the middle of a feud, or being picked off because they were viewed as insignificant. Packs and covens who worked together with the police to keep their city safe was a normal sighting. They all shared homes in the same city. Although the packs never fully trusted the vampires, they kept out of each other’s way. They were all able to carry out their gatherings and rituals without opposition or fear of disruption. This city was a perfect depiction of what progress looked like.

The city, however, was by no means perfect. The deaths of Rae’s family members were proof that there was still so much work to be done, and people who could not be trusted.

Nevertheless, could you picture it? A modern, bustling, and diverse city, where you never knew the secrets that your neighbor kept, but simultaneously didn’t care. Not knowing who among you were werewolves or vampires, but they knew. With their complicated pasts, heightened sense of smell, and not to mention their lengthy life spans, they knew exactly who their neighbors were. The humans were the oblivious ones. Regardless, the packs tended to stick together, and the covens did the same. Ultimately, the evolution of their relationship was nothing short of remarkable.

Although still mourning the loss of her youngest sister, Rae carried on conducting pack business like she knew her mother would have wanted her too. She was treading on shaky grounds though, having put off the oath swearing for so long after Helena’s death. But, for the most part, the other packs respected the old pack guidelines set down by her mother, even though they had not sworn their loyalty to her yet. However, it had been three weeks since Helena’s death and Rae knew she had to follow through with the oath swearing soon. The longer she took, the easier it was for imbalance and uproar to begin.

Sadie, Rae’s second in command and confidant, encouraged her to hold the gathering of the packs before she sought vengeance for her family’s death. Rae ignored her because she just wasn’t ready to take that step yet. This made Sadie begin to question the real reason for the constant delay. She wondered if Rae was, in fact, afraid. Sadie thought perhaps Rae was afraid of her position being challenged and was too weak to defend it.

The truth was, Rae wasn’t afraid. She simply wasn’t concerned about the oath swearing and was quite confident in her ability to fight anyone that challenged her position. After all the loss, and experiencing so much in such a short period, Rae was emotionally spent. She was focused, however, on Darion. After all, he was the leader of the vampire coven that led their city. To Rae, he and his followers were the ones to blame for the deaths in her family. Her focus was on proving that Darion and his minions were guilty and exacting revenge.

With all that was happening, Rae decided to check in on her two remaining siblings and their protective details. On arriving in the neighboring city, she found that Caitlyn was safe, and her protective detail was intact. When she checked on her brother, what she dreaded most had occurred. She met his protective detail, but he was nowhere to be found. Immediately, Rae headed off to find her brother with her own protective detail in tow, completely disregarding Sadie’s advice.

Nothing, not even securing the pack’s loyalty, was going to prevent her from searching for her brother. She was furious with Dash’s guards. They were responsible for keeping her brother safe. She wondered how it was possible for them to not know where he was, if they were doing their jobs to keep him safe.

As she searched through the city, Rae further wondered how committed they were to her family. She never had any reason to doubt their loyalty before, though she couldn’t shake the thought that her mother’s death inadvertently caused the loyalty among her pack to diminish. Then again, she knew her brother was a handful and if he truly wanted to lose his protective detail, he could.

Together, they searched systematically, from the building where Caitlyn was staying out toward the borders of the city. Rae eventually caught her brother’s scent and hurried toward it. She stumbled upon Dash’s body a short distance from Caitlyn’s location He had been murdered. It was almost too much